Press Release
April 11, 2001
PLACE: Vacation SuperClub's Super SalesCentre at Wisma Tanco Resorts Bhd in Jalan Pantai Baru in Kuala Lumpur.
A group of telemarketeers were busy at their desks, some were talking to prospective customers over the phone while
others were manning their computers.
The telemarketing department has 260 work stations complete with individual computer terminals.
This department which occupies the spacious top floor of the four-storey building is open from 3pm to 10pm on weekdays
and from 9am to 9pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
It is one of the busiest departments in the Super Sales Centre, the nerve centre of the Vacation SuperClub, a leading
timeshare club with 28,000 members and the only one with such a big set-up.
The Vacation SuperClub, operated by Tanco Resorts, is the first timeshare developer in the country to successfully
use a point-based system called "Vacation Points." It confers members the right to use its resort accommodation
for 30 years.
Besides the usual resort accommodation, members can use their "bucket" of points for a cruise in a luxury
liner, a drive in a racing car, or go sailing in a yacht. Many more exciting programmes are in the pipe-line.
Since moving to the Super Sales Centre in June last year, Tanco Resorts has placed its Tanco Holidays, Membership
Services (customer care and central reservations departments), sales and telemarketing office under one roof.
The centralised operation has become a one-stop centre for a host of services ranging from dealing with members'
needs, travel ticketing, presentation of products to social gatherings and workshops.
The Customer Care dot Centre on the ground floor has an exotic Balinese theme where members can check their reservations,
pay maintenance fee, or have their requests attended to personally.
The club's website is http://www.supersuperclubs.com. Members also
get a quarterly publication called Touche.
Presentations are made for prospective members on the first floor while the cosy VIP lounge on the second floor
is for existing members.
Members' children are also not left out as the Kids Superclub has an activity room here. The club organises activities
such as educational visits, excursions, camping, swimming lessons, pool games to using the activity room as a venue
for the child's birthday party.
There are five Kids Superclub centres with three more being planned.
Johann Lee, who is in charge of the telemarketing department, said the 130 telemarketeers would call up prospective
customers usually at their homes, or handphones from a list given to them.
Their job includes getting prospective clients to attend a presentation as well as call up existing members asking
them whether they would like to top up their points.
It boasts of a RM1mil Lucerne System, a sophisticated computer system which among other things has a data base
of prospective customers, assigns their names to the telemarketeers, keeps track of calls and monitors the entire
operations.
Professionalism is the hallmark. As such all staff are given intensive training.
To reflect TRB's entry into the knowledge or k-economy, staff designations have been changed.
For instance, vacation consultants are now called professionals, team leaders as specialists while managers are
called chief strategists. Hence, Lee's title is marketing strategist.
According to Tanco Holidays general manager Lisa Yap, there are 52 full-time staff under Tanco Holidays and the
Customer Care dot Centre.
"Our members are happy that we have centralised our operations. Previously our reservations department was
in Bangsar while the Customer Care Centre was at Duta Vista," Yap said, adding that the staff were sent for
training at the Taylor's Business School.
The staff must be knowledge based like knowing the products and about vacation planning.
Contrary to some beliefs that most people join timeshares because they could get to stay in one of RCI's (Resorts
Condominium International) resorts worldwide, Yap said that only about 20% of its members went for an RCI exchange
holiday.
She said that most of the members stayed at Tanco's resorts such as the Duta Villas and Caravan Park in Palm Springs
in Port Dickson, Duta Vista in Kuala Lumpür, Duta Sands in Kuantan (Pahang), Duta Palms Re-sort in Rawang
(Selangor), TutyPuri Island Resort and Duta Lakes Resort, both in Terengganu.
There are also the latest additions the Gem Island Resort and Gem Beach Resort in Terengganu.
Its top international resorts include the lovely Havenfield Hall and Cloth Hall in Kent, England, which were fully
booked during Christmas last year.
Another popular resort is the Coolalinga Lodge, near Surfers Paradise in Australia's Gold Coast.
It also has resorts in Pakistan (Hotel White Palace and PRM House), Thailand (Hotel Royal Crown, Phuket and Resonance
Club) and New Zealand (Speargrass Lodge in Queenstown, South Island).
"We are always looking to give more value for our members. We also try to educate them on how to plan their
vacations," Yap said.
Customer Care chief strategist Doris M. L. Chin said the minimum number of points a member was required to purchase
had dropped from 8,500 points to 3,500.
According to Chin, this is to make it more affordable for people to enjoy the Vacation SuperCiub.
She said the price per point had risen from the initial RM1 m late 1997 to the current RM1.50.
Chin who is a member herself, is all thumbs up for the points system, which she claims offers more flexibility
than the rigid seven nights a year adopted by most timeshare operators.
"With out point system you are not tied down to seven nights a year. It is up to members on how to use their
points," Chin said, adding that many members bought more points after experiencing Vacation SuperClub's unique
holidays.
She said there were members who signed up five to six contracts to top up their points. One Singaporean has bought
80,000 points while others have bought points as a gift.
She said a company had bought 31 timeshare units in Duta Vista for its staff.
SOURCE: Tanco Resorts Berhad